Well let's get the excuse out of the way first. The referee's decision on the penalty was a shocker. Almost everyone will agree with that.

However, by any measure the US did not deserve to qualify for the last sixteen.

To state the bloody obvious, the USA let in too many goals and scored far too few.

Teams that make the last sixteen do not let in five first half goals in three games. Nor do they only score one goal (yes I know it was two but the other was an own goal) and none in a second half.

No doubt Bruce Arena will be the lightning rod for the early exit but I think we have to go deeper and look at the players performances. The 4-5-1 never clicked but when the USA switched to a couple of players up front, the USA still didn't create many chances.

How many players are going to come away from this tournament with enhanced reputations?

Maybe Jimmy Conrad who played competently, perhaps Clint Dempsey who was one of the few players who looked comfortable on the ball, and Brian McBride who always gives an honest effort.

After that's it's slim-pickings.

Onyewu is very raw and without a solid central defense you have nothing to build on.

The midfield was too slow in the build up and when the USA got into the last third can anyone recount a defense splitting pass over the three games?

Donovan, Beasley, Convey contributed little. As it stands the USA is not a team that can go out and dominate another side of any quality for large stretches o####ame. Again can anyone point to any periods of the three games where the US dominated play and created chances.

The next step in the evolution of the US game must be to produce a truly creative midfielder.

Anyway that is some early thoughts.